From her father's leather jacket to her mother's suit: the chilling secret behind Kim Ju Ae's fashion

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[Financial News] Foreign media reports say that Kim Ju Ae, the daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, is using her glamorous public fashion — including leather, fur and sheer outfits — as a carefully crafted propaganda tool that signals hereditary power, rather than as mere clothing.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) focused on the changes in Kim Ju Ae's style and their political intent in an analysis published on the 6th under the headline, "Dressing for succession: What Kim Ju Ae's fashion says about North Korea's future."
Kim Ju Ae first appeared in North Korean state media in November 2022, when she accompanied Kim Jong Un at a test launch of the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). At the time, she was about 9 years old and looked like a typical child, wearing a thick white padded jacket, black pants and red shoes.
Her wardrobe has changed dramatically since then. Now believed to be 13, Kim Ju Ae has repeatedly appeared in refined and elegant outfits such as leather jackets, fur-trimmed coats and sheer blouses, presenting a far more polished image. The BBC said this reflects an effort, orchestrated by the Workers' Party of Korea Propaganda and Agitation Department, to erase the image of a young heir and instead project a mature, strong leader.
In particular, her appearance in the same black leather jacket often worn by Kim Jong Un has been interpreted as a thoroughly calculated strategy of "image replication." In an interview with the BBC, Cheong Seong-chang, vice president of The Sejong Institute, said, "Imitating the fashion of the previous generation is a traditional power-retention strategy for North Korean leaders." He added, "Just as the young Kim Jong Un offset his lack of experience and youth by dressing similarly to his grandfather Kim Il Sung, Kim Ju Ae is following the same path." Her suit, which evokes her mother Ri Sol-ju, is also seen as a device to emphasize maturity and compensate for the weakness of her young age.
Kim Ju Ae's flashy fashion also serves to showcase the Kim family's privileged status. Among ordinary North Koreans, luxury goods, fine leather and fur are rare items that are almost impossible to see. In 2023, Kim Ju Ae wore a black padded jacket from French luxury brand Christian Dior worth $1,900, and in December 2025 she was seen wearing high-end fur during a visit to the Samjiyon Millyong Hotel.
This stands in stark contrast to the reality in North Korea, where the authorities strictly control access to outside culture. In 2020, North Korea enacted the Law on Rejecting Reactionary Ideology and Culture, which firmly bans Western culture. Sheer clothing, in particular, is tightly policed as an "anti-socialist phenomenon that undermines the system." Yet in May 2024, Kim Ju Ae appeared at the completion ceremony for a housing district in Pyongyang wearing a sheer blouse that exposed her arms.
BBC said that in a society where outside information is tightly blocked, Kim Ju Ae — draped from head to toe in symbols of privilege — is emerging as a new "fashion icon" who is being granted legitimacy as the heir to power.
moon@fnnews.com Moon Young-jin Reporter